1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a display control apparatus and a display system, and more particularly to a display control apparatus for controlling the multiwindow display of data input from a plurality of personal computers and to a display system using such display control apparatus.
2. Related Background Art
Images supplied from desk-top type personal computers (desk-top PC), note type personal computers (note PC) and the like are often displayed on a large display device such as a liquid crystal projector and a plasma display for presentations of various types. Note PC""s are prevailing as personal business tools because they are light and inexpensive. Each participant in a meeting (a conference) has in many cases a note PC to check data therein or write the minutes of proceedings of the meeting.
A conventional large display device is connected to PC in one-to-one correspondence. Therefore, if a plurality of persons give a presentation, it is necessary to change the connection of PC to the display device or copy a file such as presentation materials to another PC each time a different person gives a presentation. However, the work of a connection change is cumbersome and if a file is to be copied to a different PC, many inconveniences occur such as inability of immediately displaying data because of different applications and versions or the like. In such cases, an advance of the meeting is often interrupted.
Under the above-described circumstances, an image display system is desired to have a function of displaying image information supplied from a plurality of PC""s (image sources) in a switched manner or at the same time while a meeting advances, a function of displaying the minutes of proceedings written by another PC for the confirmation by all participants.
The present invention has been made to solve the above-described problems associated with conventional techniques and provide a display system capable of controlling a display of images input from a plurality of image sources by using a common input/output device.
In order to achieve the above object of the invention, a display system for receiving image data from a plurality of image sources and displaying the received image data on a display unit, comprises: input means for inputting a control signal supplied from an input/output unit; control means for controlling an image to be displayed on the display unit in accordance with the control signal input from the input means; image selection means for selecting a desired image from images displayed on the display unit; and switching means for switching an image to be controlled by the control means in accordance with the image selected by the image selection means.
Another display system of the invention for receiving image data from a plurality of image sources and displaying the received image data on a display unit, comprises: scale varying means for varying a display scale of each image to be displayed on the display unit; a memory structured hierarchically for storing each image to be displayed on the display unit at each hierarchical level assigned with a priority order; and display style setting means for setting a display style of each image to be displayed on the display unit, in accordance with a scaling factor of the image set by the scale varying means and the priority order of the image stored in the memory.
It is another object of the invention to solve the above-described problems and provide a display control apparatus and a display system capable of easily controlling the display of images to be displayed on a conference/presentation display device by using at least one image display apparatus.
In order to achieve the above object of the invention, a display control apparatus having user information input means and connected via communications means to at least one image display apparatus for outputting image information, comprises: image input means for receiving at least one piece of image information output from at least one image display apparatus; a display device for displaying at least one piece of received image information; first overlay display means for displaying in-an overlay manner a first position indication mark on the display device in order to select one piece of image information from at least one piece of image information displayed on the display device; second overlay display means for displaying in an overlay manner a second position indication mark on the display device; and control means for determining a display position of the second position indication mark to be displayed by the second overlay display means in accordance with the user information supplied via the communications means from the user information input means, relative to the one piece of the image information selected by the first position indication mark displayed by the first overlay display means, and controlling an operation of the second overlay display means in accordance with the determined display position.